


The Blue Spirit and Spirit of Kyoshi

by lets_support_frogs



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Badass Suki (Avatar), Bisexual Disaster Zuko (Avatar), Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Bisexual Suki (Avatar), Bisexual Zuko (Avatar), F/M, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Multi, POV Zuko (Avatar), Protective Sokka (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar) Gets a Hug, Zuko (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Zuko (Avatar)-centric, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:34:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29834016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lets_support_frogs/pseuds/lets_support_frogs
Summary: Despite Zuko being Fire Lord, he isn't all powerful, he needs the support of his nation to rule after a time of war. Many acts of justice he wants to bring to the Fire Nation would make him appear power hungry and out to attack nobles who used to support his father. Zuko and Suki take justice into their own hands as The Blue Spirit and Suki in costume, and come home to Sokka who treats any and all (minor) injuries they receive while doing so.
Relationships: Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Suki/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Suki/Zuko (Avatar), The Blue Spirit & Zuko (Avatar), The Blue Spirit/Sokka (Avatar), The Blue Spirit/Suki (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko
Comments: 4
Kudos: 42





	The Blue Spirit and Spirit of Kyoshi

Zuko crouches on the windowsill, one hand holding the wall to prevent himself from toppling to the ground below, the other holding Suki steady to prevent her from doing the same. She is using both of her hands to silently open the window and let them in. It would normally be easier to enter through the ground floor and not worry about the fall, but the streets were busy. Zorao always chose these nights to do this. Nights when the streets were lively, when it wouldn’t be odd to have multiple carriages going off into the night, where any screams for help would be lost in the music and singing. He chose nights when the city was full of joy to ruin the lives of others.

So here they were, crouched on the windowsill of one of the most esteemed Fire Nation nobles several stories up. Both him and Suki were trained warriors and likely would catch themselves before they hit the ground. They would also probably injure themselves and draw attention to what they were doing, which wasn’t needed. Zuko is in his familiar black clothes, fitting closer to his body than what he wore as Fire Lord or even casually with his broadswords strapped across his back.

Sokka had asked him what had happened to his Blue Spirit mask several years ago, and Zuko had confessed that he had thrown it into Lake Laogai when he set Appa free in Ba Sing Se. Sokka had whined about it for several days, and Suki had made fun of him because apparently Sokka had a thing for the Blue Spirit before Zuko had joined them (And before he knew it was Zuko). Zuko had rolled his eyes and joined in the mockery, but had replaced his mask for Sokka (who then made fun of him for giving in too easily which lead to Zuko and Suki throwing Sokka into the turtle duck pond that night and letting them attack him). The mask which he was wearing now to obscure his distinguishable face.

Zuko isn’t sure if Suki’s disguise had a name, she had been called multiple things in official reports (a lot of it her doing. Zuko tried to stop her, but Suki had said something about how Zuko had already burned down her village and didn’t need to burn down her dreams too. He completely ignored her using her position as the Fire Lord’s bodyguard to alter the name to something ridiculous and unlike the previous ones). Her clothes were very dark green, blending in with the shadows, fitting in a similar fashion to Zuko’s. Her auburn hair was covered in a hood and her face was painted almost completely black, accented with white and a little pink around her eyes and across her nose. She couldn’t use her normal weapons like Zuko could as fans were specific to the Kyoshi warriors which would give away her identity very quickly. She instead used knives in a somewhat similar fashion. Mai had given her some basic instruction, but she mixed it with her own methods and became very skilled.

He feels a gentle tug at his clothes and sees Suki nod before she jumps through the open window, landing silently on the floor. Zuko follows suit when he is sure there are no prying eyes from the house below. They ignore the open window, not bothering to close it. Most of the people they are worried about are downstairs anyways, and outside is consistently loud, it won’t raise much alarm to hear it.

They move silently through the mansion, avoiding anyone that they pass, successfully not raising alarm. It wasn’t necessarily a difficult task. Most of the people were in the basement. Zorao wasn’t worried about being caught. He was a high ranking noble who had very little care for what people supported as long as they were in positions of power, he backed them. He cared about power and wealth, not about much more.

Zuko was not the only one of his close friends that believed that Zorao was involved in human trafficking. He was trafficking children from the Earth Kingdom. He would use his international and industrial shipping position to bring them back to the Fire Nation. With scouting of their own along with tips, Zuko and Suki had figured that Earth Kingdom children were being brought from the surrounding areas to the Fire Nation colonies. They were held there until Zorao’s ships came and they were loaded on board along with other goods that were being traded between the nations. It all seemed to be normal.

When these ships arrived at the Fire Nation, the children would be brought back Zorao’s mansion, likely drugged and hidden in boxes for transportation. Despite the fact Zorao didn’t live far from the ports, and it wouldn’t be particularly strange for a shipping merchant to be bringing some parcels back to his own home, consistent yelling from inside of these parcels would be. Someone was bound to notice.

Then on nights like these, Zorao would transport these children to wealthy payers who had likely spoken with him and made decisions ahead of time. Past that it was up to the individual as to what they were going to do with their fucking child slave, likely all different, and definalty none of it was good.

When Zuko had tried to expose Zorao months prior, he had been accused of attacking people who once supported Ozai. Zorao began making a scene about how Ozai had filled the country with propaganda and that he didn’t know what was being done was unjust. Zuko had minimal proof for this accusation and decided to drop it. If he continued pushing it, he could lose support from a lot of the powerful people in the nation, sending it into chaos. The Fire Nation was already fragile because of the war ending and Zuko didn’t need to give the nobles anymore reason to dislike him. So he didn’t. He did his research quietly. He had names and faces of many of the people involved with this trafficking, and once he had proof that Zorao was actually trafficking Earth Kingdom children, he would have all of them arrested as well. He would have his proof, testimony from every child he would free. He would have Zorao himself caught red handed, not being able to chalk this up to being resentment to former Ozai supporters.

Tonight, Zuko would free every child that being held and then he would divert all of the wealth that Zorao had made through this ‘side business’ (along with any additional funds that it needed from what Zorao had acquired legally) to saving everyone that could be found and returning them to their homes along while arresting anyone who thought it was acceptable to purchase and own another human being. A child at that.

They reach the door that leads to the basement, opening it quietly before they realize there is no need. Zuko feels anger burning in his chest as he hears terrified cries of children and the cruel yelling of men. He wants to run down there and slay every man below. They had given up their humanity when they traded the lives of children for coins. When they stole children from their homes to destroy their lives just to make their own lavish lives better. He could feel the heat from Suki’s body grow a little, she was furious, if she were a firebender he was sure she would catch on fire when she got angry. If she could do that, Katara would no longer be the most terrifying friend that he had. It would be quite the sight to see, but it would also give their position.

Zuko clears his head, studying the scene below him. There are six men down here, he assumes that all of them are firebenders, if not all of them, most of them are. There are seventeen children, eight of them already bound and gagged. None of them were ever earthbenders. They could give away the whole operation. “I’ll go left, you go right, signal when ready, and then after three seconds.” Suki whispers in his ear before she silently jumps from the staircase and holds onto the rafters, moving quickly to the center of the room. Zuko does the same.

He positions himself so one hand is hanging onto the rafter above him and his feet are pressed against the wall behind him, ready to pounce on these slavers below him. He hadn’t seen Zorao yet, but these children taken back to be fed and healed before being sent home would be proof enough. That fucker would be taken down.

He looks over to Suki, raising his free hand, putting three fingers up. Suki does the same, they both nod, putting one finger down, then another, then the last, and then they jump, each moving towards one of the captors to break their fall because they deserve it. They deserve to know what it feels like even for a second for someone’s life to be made easier despite little need for it (as both him and Suki could land unharmed art this height) at the expense of their wellbeing.

Zuko lands, hearing a yelp and a bone break. He slams his foot against the head of the man he had landed on, slamming his face on the ground, sure he hears the fuckers nose break. Good. Zuko gives a swift kick to the head, knocking him out as Zuko stands and pulls his swords from his back, bringing the blade across the chest of the next man charging at him. Zuko’s goal wasn’t to kill, but he had no issue with hurting them, and he wouldn’t lose too much sleep if he went a bit too far. These men had given up their humanity a long time ago.

Zuko sees the man taking the stance to throw a fireball at him and Zuko runs towards him as fire flies towards him, slashing his blade through the muscle of his far shoulder as he throws his body weight to the side, giving him enough force to kick the man’s head all in one foul swoop, kicking the other side of his head before the man even has a chance to hit the ground.

The third man grabs one of the children, pulling her in front of him. “Don’t you fucking move. I will snap her pretty little neck.” He growls, glaring at Zuko. Suki has taken down the three other men, and is standing still, looking at the man holding the head of the little girl in his hands. The man moves so he can see both Zuko and Suki, smirking at them.

“Both of you two criminals lock your wrists to that pole, or the girl dies.” He says. The little girl can’t be more than six years old, he can hear her crying and see her trembling in fear. Zuko bites his lip gently. He used to do it harder, but Sokka had been helping him break the habit. He was worried that Zuko would hurt himself, when Zuko didn’t care about that, Sokka drew a graph and gave a very long lecture correlating the roughness of Zuko’s lips to the number of kisses he received from Sokka. The more bit up and rough Zuko’s lips became, the less included Sokka was to kiss him. Zuko knew it was bullshit and Sokka wouldn’t actually do that, but it had an effect. Zuko had been conscious to bite his lower lip less often and softer.

Zuko glances at the cuffs where the man was indicating, exhaling. He nods so the man can see it. One of the many good things about the Blue Spirit is that people didn’t know he was a bender. He begins to move to the pole, nodding to Suki as he quickly takes a firebending position and shoots fire out of his hands.

While the man is in shock, Suki dives, breaking one of the man’s wrists and pulling the little girl to safety. Zuko can hear the man scream and he doesn’t stop, he doesn’t care...except he does. There are children in this room, he can’t execute someone in front of them, no matter how evil. They’re traumatized enough. Zuko drops his hand, looking at the man. He’s still alive, the upper part of his body, including his face, burned badly. He will likely never be able to see again if he doesn’t die from complications. He is in pain as of now. Both good. Fuck him.

Suki had already begun to work on the ropes binding the children before Zuko had come to his senses. It made sense that the operation here was relatively small. They were careful to not get earthbenders and then full grown firebenders could take on children. On top of that, the less people involved, the less likely a mole is. This business would and will destroy Zorao forever.

“All of you need to listen to me.” Zukos says, looking at the children. “I know you’re all scared and want to go home right now, but we need to get you out of here. You need to come with me and my friend, we will divide you into two carriages, it will be a tight fit but it is a short ride. Where we are taking you, the Fire Lord will take you in, get you something to eat and have healers treat your injuries. You will be safe there. He hates the man who did this to you and has never been able to prove that the man who took you is doing this. Don’t tell him who rescued you, we aren’t on the best terms. Just tell him who took you. He wants to help the avatar return balance to the world, he will return you to your families. If he doesn’t, I will personally see to it that you are returned no matter what. Understand?” Zuko says, hoping that they did, the youngest was the girl who was grabbed, the oldest looked about 11. “You just need to listen to us and stay close while we get you out of here.” Zuko says, as he finished helping the children out of their ropes.

They group together, all 19 of them, Suki in the front, Zuko in the back, the children between them as they begin making their way up the stairs. Luckily, it appears that no one has rushed to the door, yelling of grown men a normal occurrence down there at this point in time. Fighting from the staircase would have been difficult, the only place they would be able to retreat would be down the stairs and into the basement where they would be cornered. On top of that, they would be fighting multiple skilled firebenders from the downhill.

Zuko ushers the children forward into the room above, trying not to think about how scared they must be right now. The moment they are all up Zuko closes the door behind him, making sure none of the kids run down there in panic if they are caught, which is likely, All they need to do is make it across this floor, down a hallway and up a flight of stairs. Then they will be on the ground floor. After that, they won’t be fighting on a staircase at least but they will be more likely to get caught. They will need to make it through three large rooms and out the front door where five carriages are waiting, presumably to take these kids to the highest bidders. Suki and Zuko would need to fit 17 children between two carriages, each meant to hold five adults. Zuko and Suki would drive them. It would be a tight fit but they could do it, the issue is that it would take several minutes to get them all in there securely, and they would likely have been seen by then. But they had to do it. They couldn’t leave these kids behind.

They make it across the first floor and up the staircase with no issue. The kids are still in shock, it keeps them quiet for now, they just need to be compliant and quiet for a little longer. They could make it, they could help these kids.

“Okay kids, we’re heading for those doors right there.” Suki says, pointing towards the door leading outside. “Don’t run past the carriages, don’t get in them. We need to fit you in two. Blue and I need to be able to drive you. Okay?” Suki asks quietly. The kids nod. “Keep close and keep up. Blue, take the little girl who threatened, she looks like she’s limping. We need to be fast. Go.” Suki says as Zuko picks her up. Luckily she is light, and instinctively wraps her arms around his neck as they begin to move quickly across the first room. He doesn’t hear anyone yell at them, doesn’t see any fire, any flashes of weapons. They start on the second room, he looks around at him, the kids are keeping close, they’re running as fast as they probably can. They begin on the third and final one when they hear a yell.

Zuko sees one woman pointing at them, he doesn't see anyone else there but she is alerting others, she gets into a firebending position and begins throwing fire at them. Zuko runs forward, handing the little girl to Suki. “Get them in, I’ll give us some time.” He yells, drawing his swords and running towards the woman. Keeping his identity as a firebender was threatened after he had burned that man. It was clear that he was burned and would be believed the Blue Spirit was a Fire Bender. Zuko was confident that the man would die and never get the chance to tell that tale, he didn’t need the living to spread it. Especially when he wasn’t cornered, when he wasn’t forced to use that advantage. They might believe that he was hit by one of his friends in the insanity of it.

He dodges several of her attacks with ease. Being banished at 13 and being forced to go face to face with some achieved firebender did have its lessons, and Zuko had learned how to survive what the world had to throw at him. He raises his sword, slashing through the tissue in the woman’s dominant arm, causing her to cry out in pain, he quickly brings the hilt of his sword down on her head, knocking her out.

He is surprised that no one else is entering the room yet, but he isn’t going to tempt fate, he turns and sprints to the carriages, seeing Suki helping the last few children into the second carriage and shutting the door. “Let’s ride, Blue!” Suki calls, a little too cheerfully for the situation, flicking the reigns of the dragon moose, taking off before Zuko can even climb onto his. It takes a little longer because he takes a few seconds to slash the reins on the other carriages before getting on. Which is fair considering he can hear shouts from inside as he does the same, following her closely.

“Get the fuck out of the way! I’ll fight all y’all bitches!” He hears Suki scream in a joking manner at the people in the street. Zuko can’t help but to laugh at Suki’s sense of humor when she gets into her zone. He loves her.

They speed off into the night, shouts from the crowd cursing them until they get a few blocks away, slowing down to a safer speed, but still making good time, hurrying towards the palace. Hurrying to get these kids to safety, where they can be taken care of, where they can find where they came from, where they can testify against Zorao and go home to their families.

After about half an hour they reach the palace gate. Guards move towards them demanding what they’re doing and who they are. Suki hands them a letter that they had Sokka write earlier, explaining who the children had been liberated from and that the Fire Lord should consider this a token of good faith, considering he had spoken out against Zorao earlier in the year, and that hopefully some of the Blue Spirit and their accomplices’ crimes would be forgiven.

Before the guards can say anything, Zuko and Suki run around the walls, coming to the tunnel that Toph had created for them long ago. It is located in a small thicket of trees and brambles by a large rock Toph had put there near the outer walls. The outer entrance is always a little difficult to get into but that is because it is supposed to be hidden and not be glaringly obvious that it is a secret tunnel through the mountain. Toph had taken some creative liberties from the story Aang had told her about the tunnels leading to Omashu. By that she meant she had made it a labyrinth with death traps and had led Zuko and Suki the proper way multiple times, insulting them the whole way.

Zuko hadn’t even tried to stop her. For one, she was incredibly determined when she wanted to be. He had asked her for a favor and she wanted to use that to hurt anyone who tried to break into the palace. The second reason he didn’t stop her was because he couldn’t.

They know that they have reached the palace when there is a metal grate above them, the tunnel continues on, but it goes to a hole in the ground filled with sharp rocks at the bottom. He felt his soul leave his body when Toph had proudly showed him that aspect of her creation. Zuko moves the grate and begins climbing up the ladder in the narrow space between the walls Toph had made. When others had asked her what the actual fuck she was doing she had said she was doing a favor for the Fire Lord and then wouldn’t stop making statues of herself in the middle of hallways and rooms until Zuko made a public announcement appologizing for not telling everyone that Toph was doing some ‘architecture reevaluation’ while she got to hold him bridal style. It was not his finest moment, his friends would tease him about completely unprompted. The story had spread fast on the grounds it was really weird and no one attending the meeting had any idea what was going on. But Suki and Zuko got a really well made tunnel out of it that no one but the four of them knew about that led from outside of the palace, directly to Sokka’s room.

They all slept in Sokka’s room when they were together. Zuko didn’t like sleeping in the Fire Lord’s chambers. It was where his father had slept, where his mother was forced to lay with him after being forced to marry him and stripped from her life. So much evil was in that room and Zuko didn’t want to share his love with his partners there. He didn’t want a moment of it tainted.

Zuko climbs into the closet of the room, followed by Suki. They quickly latch the metal covering closed and move the heavy chest back over it. They walk out of the large closet and give each other a look that says ‘I’m in love with a complete idiot’ as they see Sokka half off the bed, sleeping with his mouth open.

“You go wake him up, I’ll heat up the water.” Zuko says as he pulls off his mask, kissing Suki gently before walking into the bathroom, plugging the tub and using the hand pump to pump water into the large bathtub. He can distantly hear Sokka grumbling as Suki begins to wake him up. He values his sleep, he never wants to be woken up, no matter what is going on. Zuko loves him so much it hurts.

Zuko has barely finished filling up the tub when Suki walks into the bathroom, Sokka grumbling behind her, rubbing his face. “You know, it’s hot having vigilante significant others, but its some fucking bullshit at the same time. It’s fucking early.” He grumbles as Suki begins taking off her face paint.

“You look good with your hair down like that.” Zuko says, walking forward and pressing his lips to Sokka’s who eagerly reciprocates. Zuko feels Sokka’s tongue press against his lips lightly, parting them slightly as he feels Sokka’s tongue move into his mouth, engulfing himself in Sokka’s warmth and scent. He feels Sokka’s hands fumble with the sash around his waist, pulling it off and gently touching his face. “I love you.” Zuko whispers when he pulls away. Sokka cups Zuko’s face in his hands pressing their foreheads together. “Wanna know what I love, turtleduck?” Sokka asks, looking at Zuko with his beautiful blue eyes. “Hmm?” He replies, leaning into Sokka’s touch a little more. “I really love it when I’m woken up before the sun and you’re expecting to make it worse by making me take a cold ass bath.” He says, kissing Zuko’s lips.

He hears Suki laugh a little. “Yeah, Zuko, what the fuck were you doing in here while I woke up the platypus bear? She asks, grinning as she gets a look from Sokka. “Okay, fuck both of you.” Zuko says, suppressing a smile as he begins to blow heat into the water, “Oh I'm sure you would love it if we did that with you.” Suki says, standing up and playfully biting Zuko’s neck. “You know, I thought that dating two people might be nice, might mean that I had two people who love and support me, but no, it’s just two people that bully me and are cute enough to get away with it.” Zuko says, rolling his eyes, as steam begins to rise from the bath without Zuko’s input.

Zuko begins to pull off his clothes as Sokka gets into the tub, who was just wearing loose pants so it was easier for him than Zuko and Suki. Suki is in next as Zuko begins to take his hair out of the pins he had kept in up in before taking out the braids, stepping into the large bathtub that still leaves room between them with all three of them in it.

“Your hair is beautiful, Zuko.” Sokka mumbles, tugging Zuko closer to him, kissing him gently, fingers wrapping in his long black hair, pulling him close. Zuko sees Suki out of the corner of his eye kissing and biting Sokka’s neck, leaving the occasional dark mark on him. Zuko gently wraps his arms around the two, as he parts his lips for Sokka, not sure how he ever got this lucky. He wasn’t sure what he had ever done to deserve two of the most amazing people in the world, but he wasn’t going to question it too much. The universe had played cruel jokes on him before when he pushed too hard for answers. He didn’t care why he got to be with them, he just cared that he did.

Sokka breaks the kiss gently, turning to kiss Suki, leaving Zuko to kiss Sokka’s other shoulder, hands running down his beautiful body. Both Zuko and Suki were more romantically involved with Sokka than each other, and Suki and Zuko had become each other’s partners in crime that would occasionally kiss and cuddle a lot. Whatever they had going on filled Zuko with more joy than he could contain sometimes. He would sometimes feel himself crying in an embrace, unable to express how much he loved them with words, not used to being wanted by someone who was kind to him, who wanted to be with him, not just sleep with him. Well...Mai had loved him for real, but it was different than this. It didn’t fill him the same way, and he was sure Mai felt the same way when she was with Ty Lee. So loved, so full, nothing else seemed to matter except the people in your arms.

“Did you get hurt, Zuko? Are you okay?” He hears Suki ask. “Hmm? probably, nothing I’m aware of. I’m fantastic.” He replies, resting his head on Sokka’s broad shoulder, tucking a strand of wet hair behind Suki’s ear, smiling at her. “You sure? You’re crying.” She says softly. Zuko nods. “You know I’m not very good with emotions. I’m just feeling a lot right now. I love you guys, so much. I don’t know how I got so lucky.” He whispers, feeling Sokka’s arm wrap around him. “I love you too, turtleduck.” He whispers, kissing his head.

“Also, you said you probably got hurt, where? How? What did you stupid fucking assholes do this time? You promised you would be careful.” Sokka says, concerned. “Where are you hurt, turtleduck?” Sokka asks, suddenly plunging his head under the water and moving towards Zuko, causing Zuko to shove him away and for Suki to burst out laughing, water splashing out.

“What the fuck, Sokka?” Zuko asks, confused but grinning. “I’m worried about you. You got hurt and you’re gonna be difficult when we get out of the tub. I’m trying to see if you have any injuries.” Sokka whines, kissing Zuko’s cheek. “Hey! Suki was doing the same stuff I was, why aren’t you worried about her?” Zuko asks, pointing at Suki who gives him an exaggerated look of appaulment.

“Fire Lily, I love you, so much, but you can be a stupid peice of shit most of the time and Suki is far more responsable than you.” Sokka says with his dorky half smile. Suki gives him a mocking laugh, flipping him off. “Suck it.” She says, grinning. Zuko grumbles for a bit, going on about how he was the Fire Lord and that this was treason and he could have them arrested for this. Suki and Sokka just laugh at him.

“Zuzu, I wanna wash your hair, it’s soft.” Suki says unprompted, grabbing Zuko and dunking his head under the water with no warning. “What the fuck, Suki?” He demands, annoyed, trying to get water out of his nose. “I was just getting the water out of your hair, love.” She says, giving him an innocent look as if she couldn’t beat the shit out of both Zuko and Sokka simultaneously if Zuko wasn’t using his bending and just his hand to hand combat skills.

Zuko flips her off but leans back against Sokka, closing his eyes, humming softly as he feels both of Suki’s hands and one of Sokka’s gently work soap into his long, thick hair. Sokka’s other hand supports him, keeping his head above the water. If Zuko had known that a perk of having long hair (and having two people who liked playing with long hair) was this, he would have been more serious about growing out the Fire Lord’s hair ages ago, not caring about not wanting to look like his father. It felt so good. It was soothing, and gentle, the two people who he loved most in the world gently working their fingers through his hair, keeping it clean and tidy.

“I love you.” He mumbles quietly, touching Sokka’s thigh gently, smiling to himself as he hums happily. “You’re so beautiful.” He hears Sokka whispering, kissing his neck which quickly turns to him gently biting him, taking his hand from Zuko’s hair and gently rubbing his inner thigh. Zuko feels a gentle moan pass his lips, moving closer to Sokka. “I love you.” He whispers again.

“You really always gotta be so handsey, you’re like a 16 year old.” He hears Suki joke as she washes the soap from his hair. Zuko sits up slowly, smiling at the two as he rests his head on Sokka’s shoulder. “What? So it’s my fault you two wake me up before the sun, drag me into a bath and start kissing me? You want me to keep my hands to myself?” He asks, kissing Suki.

“No.” Zuko whispers, wrapping his arms around Sokka, tenderly kissing his shoulder, closing his eyes, smiling again.

“Wait Zuko, is that a burn on your arm?!” Sokka practically screams, making Zuko shoot up and flinch a little before throwing Sokka a soft glare for disturbing him. “Sorry, turtleduck.” Sokka whispers, kissing him gently, knowing he tends to react poorly to yelling when not expecting it. “Shit, Zuko. Did you get burned in the basement or when you were fighting that woman upstairs?” Suki asks, gently taking his arm and examining the large burn covering the bottom half of his bicep. Having a high pain tolerance had its drawbacks, like not noticing when he was injured. Especially burns. He was so used to them, his body covered in faint marks. It was difficult to see the scarring of most of them left, but they were all in the distinct shape of a hand and more commonly, the fingerprints of a grown man.

“Okay. Bath time is over, it’s now time for you two to tell me what you did tonight and I get mad at both of you for being idiots, especially you, Zuko.” Sokka says sternly, kissing him again. “I love you...I hate it that you two do this...I understand why. I understand why you want to and sometimes need to...I still don’t like it. I worry.” He says, turning to kiss Suki. “I love you too, Sokka.” Suki says, standing up.

They drain the tub, grabbing towles, helping each other dry off, sharing kissing, phrases of affection, gentle touches. “I love you.” They whisper to each other, over and over again. Zuko can’t help but to smile, everything in these moments so perfect, feeling so loved.

Once they’re dry, Sokka gets his large container of first aid supplies he had gotten from the hospital wing months ago and pulls his clothes on, leading them to the bed. “What happened?” He asks, pulling burn salve from the container and begins to gently rub it on Zuko’s arm. Pain he didn’t notice before subsiding, body relaxing into Sokka’s practiced touch.

Sokka didn’t go with them on these expeditions. Sokka was a skilled fighter and strategist, but when it came to stealth and being nimble, he lacked there. He excelled at hand to hand combat, but would easily be caught sneaking around with them. Sokka hated the injuries that they came home with, so he had spent weeks in the hospital. He had befriended many healers and they had taught him how to soothe burns, clean and wrap cuts, clean and stitch laceration (and how to tell the difference between the two). If they ever were to come home with a more severe injury such as broken bones or deeper burns, they would go to the hospital (which they hadn’t needed to do yet). Sokka had become very skilled with tending to minor injuries that they would come home with everytime they did this.

“You know Zorao? The guy Zuko publicly accused of human trafficking without a shred of evidence like an idiot?” Suki asks, grinning. “Hey! He is and he’s an asshole.” Zuko grumbles as Sokka begins to gingerly wrap his arm. “Yeah, and then there was a whole debate about how you were abusing your power and just wanted to take down everyone who used to support your father, which is a lot of nobles, out of spite? Yes, I do remember that guy, what about him?” Sokka asks, giving him that look he gave Zuko when he did something stupid.

“Well he is involved in human trafficking. He is kidnapping children from the Earth Kingdom, shipping them over to the capital using his shipping company, and then selling them to wealthy Fire Nation nobles who are just as sick and twisted as he is!” Zuko says, feeling anger boiling inside of him. He’s so angry that someone could do that to another human being, a child at that. He feels tears pricking in his eyes, shaking his head a little.

“Hey, it’s okay, love.” He hears Suki whisper, kissing his eyes. “You’re going to help those kids, you’re going to find the rest of them, get them home to their families.” Zuko nods. “I know...just so much of their lives have been taken from them...some of them may never be okay again after this. They’re fucking children.” Zuko whispers, wiping tears from his eyes. “Shhh, I’m sure there are ways to help them. It isn’t your fault they were taken, all you can do now is undo what those monsters did and bring them home.” Zuko nods, despite the fact guilt still fills his chest at the fact this was done under his nose. “I’ll arrest all of them. The people who kidnapped them, the people who sold them, the people who bought them. They’ll never see Agni’s light again.” Zuko whispers, resting his head against Sokka’s shoulder, feeling a hand rub his back gently.

“We got them all out, all 17 of them. We brought the kids back to the palace. We gave them the note you wrote about this being a token of good faith and for some of the Blue Spirits and his accomplices’ crimes to be pardoned.” Suki says, taking Zuko’s hand as he feels the sting of medicinal alcohol being pressed to his cuts, followed by more bandages, each one sealed with a soft kiss from Sokka.

“Are you going to pardon yourself for anything when you are informed of this development tomorrow?” Sokka asks, moving onto the injuries on Zuko’s legs, cleaning the cuts, soothing the burns, kissing the bruises. “I think I’m going to pardon Rotting Bean for blowing up a firework warehouse because it was cool and no one got hurt...well not officially...and they fucking deserved it. They were also trafficking people. Poorer Fire Nation women.” Zuko says, smiling at Suki.

“Yes I agree with that, stop using euphemisms for saying we killed a bunch of assholes, and stop calling me Rotting Bean, it’s gross.” Suki huffs as Sokka begins to work on Zuko’s back, mumbling about how Suki is able to get away with very few injuries and that Zuko is an idiot.

“You’re the one that keeps changing your name to something ridiculous that won’t catch on, a different thing every time, so I don’t know what to call you. Let them give you a name, or let me call you Rotting Bean.” Zuko replies.

“Okay, first off, you are out here trying to crush my creative freedom.”

“It isn’t that creative, Suki.”

“Shut the fuck up, Zuko. I want to remain more anonymous and bring more confusion and mystery to my existence opposed to being named. If I want to use my position close to people in power for evil, I will. By denying me this, you’re really burning my dreams.”

“Suki, no, please, I’m sorry.”

“It just really reminds me of that time-”

“Suki, I’ve said I’m sorry so many times.”

“That time you burned-”

“I literally had it rebuilt for you, I followed all of your specifications, a-”

“That time you burned down my village. Like a dick.”

Zuko can feel Sokka shaking with silent laughter, and sees Suki grinning wildly at him. “I’m going to break up with both of you and charge you with treason.” He grumbles, crossing his arms.

“You wouldn’t do that, love. Admit it, you’re happy.” Suki says, kissing Zuko’s cheek. “No.” He says, smiling anyways. “There, your dumbass is bandaged, get dressed.” Sokka says, throwing Zuko’s loose sleeping clothes at him as he turns to check over the more minimal wounds on Suki. Most of them are bruises which he kisses gently with a few cuts on her body. She definitely is more careful than Zuko, but he isn’t going to say that he knows it to either Suki or Sokka.

Zuko carefully pulls on his clothes, resting his head back on Sokka’s shoulder. “See how much easier it is when your girlfriend isn’t a dumbass like your boyfriend is.” Sokka says to Zuko as he finishes checking over Suki in just a few minutes, handing her her clothes which she slips into easily, not needing to avoid damaging multiple bandages.

The three of them snuggle into the bed, exhaustion washing over them as they do, Zuko in the middle. At first they had kept Sokka in the middle (When Zuko had finally agreed to start sleeping with them), both Zuko and Suki were more romantically involved with Sokka than each other, but they had very quickly moved Zuko to the middle.

Zuko had thought that his nightmares had stopped shortly after the war, but it turns out they were just as bad if not worse now. They just didn’t wake him up. He would whimper, cry, and beg for mercy almost every night. He had learned this the first night he had spent with Sokka and Suki. The two of them had woken him up, worried about him. He had apologized and tried to get them to go back to sleep, hoping they wouldn’t get fed up and leave him when they realized just how damaged he was. Instead, they had moved him into the middle so they could both hold him and comfort him as they drifted back to sleep.

After that, they kept him in the middle. They said it was because he was comfortably warm no matter the temperature and that apparently Sokka kept poking Suki’s boob while she was trying to sleep (he believed that one, but was sure Suki found it amusing to an extent). He knew it was because if he woke one of them up while he whimpered in his sleep, one of them could easily hold him close, bringing him back to warmth and safety.

Zuko drifts off in their arms, heart full, smile on his lips, their scent surrounding him. He loved them more than he could bear, more than he thought was possible. He felt like the luckiest man in the Fire Nation, and he quite possibly was, every issue with his past, fading away as he falls into sleep in the safety of their arms. “I love you.” He whispers again, before being dragged into a deep, dreamless sleep.


End file.
